Apparatus for electroplating.



H. 0. SCHUESSLER.

APPARATUS FOR ELECTROBLATING. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 28. 1918.

1,299,624, Patented Apr. 8,1919. 1 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W Z I fwevzZZr 1 ,1 72666, gar "y Q'JckzLdssZ? H. 0. SCHUESSLER. APPARATUS FOR ELECTROPLATING. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 28. I918.

1,299,624, Patented Apr. 8,1919.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HARRY O. SCHUESSLEB, F PERU, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR ELECTROI LATING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

Application filed January 28, 1918. Serial No. 214,096.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY O. SonUnssLnR,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Peru, in the county of La S'alle and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Electroplatmg, of which the following is a specification.

I procemes in which the wor his invention relates to electro-plating apparatus especially ada ted for those electrolysis in a series of different baths, such for example as when nickel plating the-work is. generally exposed in a ath of sulfate of copper, thence in a rinsing bath,

and finally in a nickel plating bath. Here- .p

' tofore, in the practice of .such plating1 on a large scale the matter of handling earticles or pieces to be plated and transferring them from one bath to another at the proper intervals entailed greater cost than should be necessary becauseof the lack of time and labor saving facilities for the purpose. In the present invention, I have aimed primarily, to provide apparatus by means 0 which electro-plating of the character described may 'be performed more economiand expeditiously and with more unically results than has'been heretofore posform sible.

V. In furtherance of this general object I have contemplated the provision of novel ing the work to be plated from one bath to another of 'a series at timed intervals, so'

skille in the art of eleztro-plating as the.

invention becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Flgure 1 is an e evation, artly in section,

of one working example 0 an electro-platis subjected to means for mechanically handling and carry-- ing apparatus embodying my improvements; and I Fig. 2,43. vertical sectional view of the apparatus takensuibstantially on the line 2-2; of Fig. 1.

As mentioned above, my improvements are applicable in general to various electroplating processes, although in the following illustration I have taken simply as an examplefa series of three baths such as are employed for nickel plating. In this particular case, the work is cleansed and coated with sulfate of cop-per in the first bath by electrolysis as is well understood; the second bath 4 is simply of water for rinsing urpbse; and in the third bath 5 the work is nickel plated by electrolysis. The baths 3 and 5 contain the requisite anodes 6 and 7 respectively, which are the positive electrodes and receive electric current from a suitable source, such as from a generator 8.

The negative electrodes designated generally by characters 9 and 11, normally out. of circuit, are of novel construction as will be presently seen.

My improvements contemplate the provision of work holders designed to be carried successively to the several baths and, when the work has been immersed therein, to be brought into contact with the negative electrodes thereof, so that the circuit of the bath is closed, the work becoming the oathode, and electrolysis ensuing. In other words, by moving the work holders into and out of electro-plating positions the circuits of the respectlve baths are automatically closed and opened so that the electrolytic action takes place only during the periods that the work is immersed in or fully exposed to the solution. My improvements further contemplate, as will presently be seen, the provision of an endless carrier for moveral baths at the proper intervals so that closing and opening of the circuits becomes automatic. r

The work holders in the rwent instance are each in the form of a rod 12 from which is adapted ticles to be lated. As shown, these articles are in the orm of plates 13 of sheet metal attached to the holders through the agency of suitable hangers 14. The work holders are adapted to be supported immediately ing the work holders to and from the sevto be suspended one or more arabove each bath by' means of supporting members which constitute the negative electrodes. These electrodes or supporting members 9 and 11, mounted ateach end of present instance of an endless chain 16 at clockwise direction viewin each side of the baths trained about sprockets 17 disposed in substantially the same vertical plane but below the electr -plating stations, that is, the at-rest positions of the work holders, and over upper sprockets 18 and 19, the former of which are interposed between the sprockets 17 and the latter, at the outer sides of the outermost sprockets. Any suitable means, such as a power belt 21' and pulley may be provided for driving both endless chains in unison. By reason of this arrangement, it will be noted that when the driving pulley is revolved in a counter- Fig. 2, the

reaches 22 and 23 of the end ess carrier will respectively approach and recede from theseveral baths. I have, therefore, equipped the endless chains with means for carrying the work holders in such manner that the work will be lowered into the respective baths through the lowering movement of the reaches 22 of the carrier and at the same time the holders will be positioned or set upon the supporting surfaces 15 so as to close the electric circuit of. the respective bath. For this purpose the endless carrier chains 16 are each equipped at equally spaced points in lateral alinement with hangers24 pivotally suspended at 25 and shaped to provide V-shaped supporting surfaces 26. As shown in Fig. 1, referring to the uppermost work holding rod 12, it will be noted that the hangers 24 are arranged to receive the ends of said rod upon the surfaces 26 and to thuscarry the Work holder in such manner that the latter is freely detachable from the hangers. As a consequence of this construction the work holder may be arrested at a plating station so as to become detached from the hangers. I have, therefore, so relatively arranged the several reaches of the carrier and the supporting members 9 that the surfaces 15 of the latter lie in the path of the above mentioned descending work holding rod 12, the ends of which Wlll be lowered upon said surfaces to the lowermost point thereof, as the hangers 24 are lowered. The work is now fully immersed in the solution and the circuit closed by the connection between the solution and the electrode 9 through the agency of the work and its holder, so that electrolytic action is set up as long as the work holder 12 remains in contact with the electrode 9. This period of electrolysis is terminated by lifting. the work holder from the electrode and the length of the periodis determined in the present instance by the speed of the carrier and the distance the hangers 24 travel in the interval between depositing the work holder upon the supporting electrode and lifting the holder therefrom. It will be manifest viewing Fig. 2, that after the work holder is deposited on the supporting elec-' trode 9, the hangers 24 will be lowered with respect to the stationary work holder and thence elevated through the .reach or course 23 of the carrier .and that duringgthis' elevating movement 'in which the ends of the work holding rod lie in the path of the surfaces 26, said rod will be engaged by said surfaces of the hangers and lifted from the supporting members 9. Thus, a means is provided for mechanically placing the work into and removin it from a bath and for automatically closing the circuit of the bath during only the period that the work is exposed therein. M

After the work reaches the first bath it will be elevated in a course substantially directly above the bath so that the solution dripping from the work may fall into the rinsing (purposgno' electric current is neces sary an the act of disconnecting the'work holder and connecting it "to the carrier has no influence on the circuit. After the rinsing period the work is elevated and thence lowered into the bath 5 for the final electro: plating action, the circuit of thethird bath being closed automatically upon exposing the work therein and upon removin it therefrom in the same manner as described with respect to the first bath 3. The work may be removed from the carrier at any time after leaving the final bath, as is obvious.

Referring now to the operation in general, it will be readily understood from the foreoing that I have provided apparatus whereby the work to be plated will be mechanically transferred from one to another of the series of baths at proper intervals requisite for the plating or rinsing or whatsoever operation is required; And in addition to simply transferring the work from one bath to another, means has been provided for automatic-ally closing and opening the circuits of the respective baths so that the current will be consumed during only the actual periods of electrolysis. It will be plainly evident that by means of my improvements the work may be subjected to any desired number or seriesof baths-and exposed in the respective baths for any predetermined period, as this period may be governed with accuracy as mentioned above by simply arrangement without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Electro-plating apparatus comprising a series of baths, the electrodes of which are normally out of circuit, a plurality of work holders to each of which is adapted to be attached one or more articles to be plated, means for stationarily supporting a work holder in connection with the negative electrode of a bath, in which position the article carried is immersed in the bath and electrolysis ensues, and continuously operating means for moving intermittently each work holder from the supporting means of one bath to those of another.

2. Electro-plating apparatus comprising a series of baths, the electrodes of which are normally out of circuit, a plurality of" work holders toeach of which is adapted to be attached one or more articles to be plated, stationary means for supporting a work holder in' connection withthe negative electrode of a bath, in which position the article carried is immersed in the bath and electrolysis ensues, and an endless carrier adapted to detachably engage with and move the holders successively from the stationary supporting means of one bath to those of another.

' 3; The combination of a series of baths, an endless carrier mounted so asto travel toward and from each bath in succession, a plurality of work holders detachably con nectible with the endless carrier at spaced intervals thereon in, such manner that when arrested by being moved toward a bath the work holder will disconnect from the endless carrier and will be subsequently connected to a portion thereof traveling away from said bath, and means for arresting the work holders at a predetermined point in their movement toward the several baths.

4. Electro-plating apparatus comprising a series of baths the electrodes of which are normally out of circuit, an endless carrier mounted so as to travel toward and from each bath in succession, a plurality of work holders so connected with the endless carrier as to be capable of being arrested with respect thereto at a point while approaching the bath, at which oint the Work is immersed for electrolysis, and, after an interval, to again move with the carrier away from the bath, and means connected with the negative electrode of each bath for arresting a work holder and thereby causing the circuit in the respective bath to be closed until the work holder is subsequently raised by the carrier.

5. In an electro-plating apparatus, the combination of a series of baths, a carrier arranged to travel in proximity to each bath, work holders adapted to be detachably suspended from said carrier, work holder supporting means mounted upon each of said baths whereby the work holders are removed from the carrier and stationarily supported above each bath for a predetermined period, and an electric circuit one terminal of which is connected to said supporting means and the other to electrodes in the respective baths. 6. In an electro-plating apparatus, the combination of a series of baths, work holder supporting means mounted upon each bath, an endless carrier arranged to travel toward and from each bath within the vertical plane of said supporting means, and work holder supporting devices mounted on said carrier and adapted to detachably carry said work holders so that the work holders are automatically deposited upon said supporting means and disconnected from said devices to suspend the work in said baths and are subsequently removed by said devices from said supporting means and conveyed to the next bath.

7. In' an electro-plating apparatus, the combination of a series of baths, work holder supporting means mounted thereon, and means for automatically depositing a work holder upon said supporting means where it is stationarily supported for a predetermined period and subsequently removing said holder from said supporting means.

8. In an electro-plating apparatus, the combination of an electrolytic bath, stationarysupporting means adjacent thereto, and means for depositing work holders upon said supporting means and removing the same therefrom after predetermined intervals.

9. In an electro-plating apparatus, the combination of a bath. work supporting means connected with one terminal of an electric circuit, an electrode in said bath connected with the other terminal of said circuit, an endless "carrier, and means on said carrier for automatically depositing work upon said supporting means and after a predetermined interval removing the same there- 'from.

10. In an electro-plating apparatus, the combination of a loath, awork holder supportingmeans adjacent thereto, an endlesscarrier traveling in proximity to said work holder supporting means, and means on said carrier for automaticallydepositing a work 1) holder on said supporting means and. after a HARRY O. SCHUE SSLER. 

